I'm Zack, the Protective One
by Blader Fairy Everlasting
Summary: Cody has a sudden attack and Zack learns why he has to be the protector.


**I'm Zack, the protective one**.

Disclaimer:- The Suite Life isn't mine, mine's the cute one.

Chapter 1- Cody tries, Zack promises.

Cody sighed. He loved basketball yeah, but whenever he played it in public, when it wasn't just him and Zack, he'd get so nervous and things were bound to go wrong. He looked over at Zack who was totally focused on the ball. It was just so annoying, Zack was fine around other people, he and Max were the best basketball players in the year, and he never messed up like Cody did.

Uh oh, he hadn't been concentrating again. Max was waving to him wildly. Cody snapped back into the game. Max was cornered by three players; she actually needed to pass to him-Cody!

"CODY! Formation 3!" Cody stared, formation 3? Then he remembered. That was the one where Max threw the ball across the court and Cody was supposed to jump in and catch it and pass it back to Max who would weave in through the defenders and catch I to score.

Oops. Now he just had to run across the court in time to get the ball. He sprinted, his trainers a blur underneath him, he coughed, he was feeling really light-headed it was like a sort of euphoria that had settled around his head, and chest then suddenly, he folded over clutching his chest, stinging pain shooting through his lungs.

And the basketball landed with an echoing thud in front of him. Cody could hear the ominous echoes of its receding bounces.

He groaned inwardly but that just made him cough, what was wrong with him today?

The whistle went. He could hear groans and comments from the other players. Cody got up slowly, the pain in his chest fading away now, his breathing was still out of control though.

He walked as slowly as possible to the changing rooms; he didn't feel like hanging around in there, he knew they'd all be complaining about him, well his team anyway, the other team would be laughing.

Cody sighed and took a drink from the fountain. He felt the fleeting touch of a hand on his back before he was shoved face first into the water. He spluttered, coughing and turned around to glare at Drew whom he'd guessed at once was the cause.

Drew just smirked, "Whatcha starin' at loser?" Cody ignored him and went to grab his bag, breathing shallowly. Zack passed him and smiled reassuringly. He came up to Drew and looked at him suspiciously, "Hey Drew" he said casually, hoping he'd get the message. Drew just jerked his head and headed off.

Zack finished getting changed and throwing his bag over his shoulder, headed off to find Cody. He found him hanging around by his locker sorting his bag out. He hadn't bothered to get changed since they were going home now.

Zack sighed. He knew that Cody could play better than that but whenever he was at school he just froze up, like back then, he just froze up and looked like he was going to crouch on the ground just because of a cough. Zack sighed, he knew Cody probably had his reasons but if it was Zack he would've just carried on running, not even puking would've stopped him. Okay it might but… Zack shook his head, understanding Cody just made his head throb.

He threw an arm around Cody, one of his favourite signs of brotherly support. Cody didn't question it either. They wandered slowly downstairs.

"What's wrong Cody?" said Zack at last. "I know you're not that hopeless at basketball, you could've caught that ball easily."

Cody, calmed down now, said, "I tried but I just suddenly started coughing and I couldn't stop it, I don't know if-"

He was about to explain how maybe it was because of the running and how his chest hurt when Zack grabbed his arm and cried, "Aw no! We'll miss the bus! It's 3.30!" He started off into a run, dragging Cody along too.

"Speed up man or we'll have to walk home!" Cody hurried as fast as he could, panting for air, then he felt it again, that light-headed feeling and the pain in his chest.

"Argh! Zack! Slow down! I can't-"

"Aw come on!" yelled Zack, no wonder you're so bad if you can't run faster than this!"

That did not have the effect of motivating Cody this time. He slowed even more. He could've kept on running, his legs were fine but his chest…burning…

They burst out through the entrance of the school just as the yellow bus left. Drew sneered at them out of the back window. Zack could see them all laughing in the bus. Cody was too busy trying to get his breath back.

Zack felt humiliated and furious. "What's wrong with you!" He yelled down at the hunched Cody. "Why can't you just speed up? You run like a girl! You say you're trying but you're not! Grr!"

Cody was panting hard and wheezing, his arms hugging his aching chest. He raised his head to look half hurtfully, half painfully at Zack. "He started to speak, "I-" But he collapsed in coughs, great wheezing coughs that shook his small frame.

Now Zack realised that something was seriously wrong. Cody was bent over wheezing mixed with strangled gasps of pain.

"Hey," said Zack, concerned, "Hey bro, you okay? What's wrong?"

He grabbed Cody's shoulders as Cody just kept on coughing. Zack knitted his eyebrows together, he hated not knowing what was going on, especially when it concerned Cody, he felt he had a right to know, understand everything about his twin as they were practically one person.

Cody was finding it harder and harder to breathe, his panting should have stopped now; he hadn't run that far and- Aw crap!

His chest started burning again; there was also a feeling as if his ribcage was gradually being constricted until his breaths were getting shorter and shorter.

He dropped to the floor, panicking as tears leaked out of his eyes. Zack started to panic too, what was wrong with his brother? He knelt down in front of Cody, "Hey, do you want me to get help? Cody!"

Cody grasped the front of Zack's t-shirt, trying to relay something across to his brother. Zack got it. "I-heh- can't-heh- breathe- " And with that he collapsed fully against Zack.

Zack panicked, big time. "Somebody help!" he shouted. He could feel Cody's erratic breathing on his shoulder.

He grabbed Cody around the shoulders so he could see his face. It was pained and he was taking shuddering gasps for air, his chest was convulsing.

"HELP!" Zack shouted at the top of his lungs. "Someone HELP!" Surely someone must still be around school, it was only 15 minutes after the bell had rung; not everyone could have gone home so fast!

And then he remembered- the cell phone their mum had given them. She'd explicitly said that it was emergencies and Zack couldn't think of a bigger emergency than this. He found it in his bag (he'd been hogging it) and dialled quickly.

He could feel himself getting hysterical, Cody's dead weight against him and his short breathing was alarming him more and more with every second.

"Hello?" he cried down the phone. "Please! I need an ambulance at Millerton High! Now! (A/N If you know the name of their school please tell me) My brother Cody's breathing funny and he's unconscious and he can't breathe! And-"

Zack was practically wailing down the phone. He'd never felt so helpless in his life. He hugged Cody's shuddering body close as if he was Cody's lifeline. "It's gonna be okay bro, you'll be fine, you'll be okay. Oh Cody."

He started crying on Cody's shoulder. "I shouldn't have been mean. I'm sorry, really sorry. What's wrong? Why couldn't you tell me? I'll never make fun of you again I swear, I'll never let anyone else make fun of you either. You're my baby brother and they'll have to answer to me! Especially Drew." He spat out that last bit but the tears were flowing everywhere now. "I'll look after you Cody, I will, I really will! I promise!"


End file.
